Canyon Dam (California)

Canyon Dam (National ID # CA00327m also known as Lake Almanor Dam[1]) is an embankment dam on the North Fork Feather River in northern California, 16 mi (26 km) southwest of Westwood. Located about 8 miles (13 km) southeast of Chester, the dam forms Lake Almanor, a large and shallow reservoir surrounded by the Sierra Nevada mountains.

Canyon Dam
Spillway of Canyon Dam
Location of Canyon Dam in California
Country	United States
Location	Plumas County, near Westwood, California
Coordinates	40°10′24″N 121°05′25″W
Opening date	1927
Owner(s)	PG&E
Dam and spillways
Type of dam	Earthfill
Impounds	North Fork Feather River
Height	130 ft (40 m)
Length	1,250 ft (380 m)
Reservoir
Creates	Lake Almanor
Total capacity	1,308,000 acre⋅ft (1.613×109 m3)
Catchment area	503 sq mi (1,300 km2)
Surface area	28,160 acres (11,400 ha)
Power Station
Hydraulic head	356 ft (109 m)
Installed capacity	41 MW
Annual generation	156,100,000 KWh

First constructed in 1910 by the Great Western Power Company as part of the Upper North Fork Feather River Project, the dam was originally planned to be built of masonry but was later changed to an earthfill design. The dam's primary purpose was to store water for the Western Canal Company, an irrigation district in the Central Valley and a subsidiary of Great Western. The dam provided flows for a hydroelectric plant about 40 miles (64 km) downstream at the Big Bend Powerhouse, today submerged by the reservoir behind Oroville Dam. Canyon Dam was modified in 1927 and 1962 to increase its usable storage. Today the dam and reservoir, owned by Pacific Gas and Electric, supply water to the 41 megawatt Butt Valley Powerhouse[2] and provide summer flow for six hydroelectric plants on the North Fork Feather River downstream.